After the Hawk
by Darth Firedove
Summary: Snowkit escapes the hawk that captured him, but what now? He's a deaf kit, all alone in the middle of nowhere. But he decides he has to survive, and learns to hunt and fight. He finds friends in a patronizing squirrel, a quirky kit also caught by a hawk, and a young she-cat on the run from badgers. But various happenings, jealousy, and rogues start threatening Snowkit's peaceful li
1. Chapter 1

My heart clenched with fear as I felt claws pick me off the ground. I looked up only to find evil yellow eyes staring back at me. A hawk! That was why everyone had hid! I cursed my deafness. Even if my deafness wasn't full, I didn't hear if people didn't scream.

I clawed with fury and terror at the foot that held me. The hawk screeched but didn't flinch. I could see cats running from the camp. They looked so small...  
I wailed helplessly. Even if I couldn't be a warrior, I didn't want to die.

We kept rising. Soon we were too far up. I stopped fighting as horror of being dropped filled me. The warriors chasing us fell back. In my heart I knew they'd never catch us. I found myself wondering if I'd be missed by anyone. Speckletail, most likely. Bramblekit and Tawnykit, maybe. These thoughts just made me more miserable. I clenched my eyes shut.

I tried to think clearly. Maybe there was a way out of this mess. But my mind was functioning awkwardly. I felt lightheaded and sick. All of a sudden I noticed a change in the air. It was colder. I realized we were somewhere completely different. I blinked my eyes and for a moment I thought I was blind. Then I realized the ground was simply white. _Snow!_ I thought.

I looked at the horizon and realized that pointed white peaks stood there. I gazed at them in surprise. I wondered what they were, and also realized they were slowly growing bigger! I gazed at them, captivated, even if I was terrified. There was something beautiful about them, despite the fact that I was far above the ground, being carried by a hungry hawk. I screeched in shock as we swooped down. The hawk was landing! The were bigger up close. They were also made of stone! I realized what a stupid thought that was. Anyone could see that. Now my thoughts were a jumble. We flew so close to the rocky wall that I thought we might crash, but the hawk just flew in a circle and...dropped me.

I screamed. The feeling of falling from a great height was awful. I tried to grab onto a stone, but it just broke off. _Crunch!_ I had landed in a pile of sticks! As I wormed my way out, three pairs of eyes followed my every move. Uh oh. Now I understood why the Hawk had dropped me. I was food for her chicks. They were probably almost full grown. One eyed me in a way that made me shiver. I backed away, only to realize that we were on a ledge. The only way to escape was to fall. But if I stayed, I'd get torn apart. Neither idea appealed to me much.

While I was doing my decision-making, the boldest-looking hawk decided he was hungry. He lurched forward, beak outstretched. I jumped back, hair on my back standing up on end. I landed on the very edge, and rock crumpled beneath my feet and fell away while I scrambled to get up. I stood, shivering, carefully watching the hawks. Their mother was flying above again. There was one hawk I never wanted to meet again. And then it happened. A second hawk jumped at me, and, without thinking, I jumped back.

Terror filled me as I realized I was only standing on air. It was over. I was about to fall to my death. I closed my eyes...and crashed into something that wasn't quite soft and wasn't quite hard. It was a pine tree directly beneath the ledge! I saw three faces staring at me angrily from above, and I felt a strange tingle of pride at escaping both them and the fall.

And then I realized I had no way of getting down. I carefully walked along the branch, making sure each pawstep was strategically placed so I wouldn't fall. When I reached the trunk, I observed that there were branches under me. I hopped lightly from one to another, until I reached the one closest to the ground. I eyed the snow below me suspiciously. It was still at least four fox-lengths away from me. But it couldn't be that dangerous, could it?

I stepped off the branch. It was stupid and spontaneous, as I decided later, but just then it seemed like the only idea. The snow cushioned my fall lightly, but I still felt bruised. I growled in frustration as I fought my way out of the pile I had landed in. It was so cold. I wanted to be next to my mother in ThunderClans nursery. I slowly pushed myself up, and wandered into the snow-covered forest next to me. I have no idea how long I walked. Only that my feet were numb by the time I stopped. I saw a hole in the ground. It didn't smell of any animal. I figured it was abandoned.

I crawled in and curled up with my tail over my nose. I was tired, scared, and alone. But an idea hit me. Bluestar would send warriors to find me! I'd be back in ThunderClan soon. I felt hopeful. Of course they would come. They wouldn't forget me, right? I fell asleep feeling better, with this thought still in my head.


	2. Chapter 2

I blinked my eyes open. I felt horribly, cold, and for a moment I wondered what had happened to the nursery. Then I realized Speckletail, Tawnykit, and Bramblekit were nowhere in sight.

It all flooded back to me in one moment. The hawk. My escape. The long walk. The den. I closed my eyes and resisted the urge to wail for my mother. I couldn't help my self if I didn't figure out how to catch prey. And the den would never be warm if I didn't add leaves and moss.  
Besides, It was only until ThunderClan came looking for me, wasn't it? Then I'd be safe and back with Speckletail again.

I happily plodded out, sniffing around. I found a bush covered with dried leaves, so I shook it gently, and leaves came falling down. I grabbed them up and raced back to my den. I slowly stuffed the den with dried leaves. I even found a tree with moss growing all over it. I scratched it off and carried it back.  
Speckletail would have been proud of me.

As I finished a gazed at my work, my stomach grumbled. I was tired after the work, and hungry. But how to catch prey? I was partially deaf! _Nonsense!_ I hissed at myself. I was just as good as the other warriors! I would catch prey! And when I met Bramblekit again, I'd tell him all about it. He'd be jealous.

I walked carefully through the woods. Noises scared prey, I remembered. Something had to be around here. I stopped and stood very still, feeling the ground carefully.  
And then I felt them. Tiny vibrations. I took a few steps sideways, and they became stronger. I started smelling vole. I got excited. Prey! A few more moments, and I saw it.

It was just sitting there, twitching it's nose. I grinned and moved so it wouldn't see me, or smell me. I leaped with all my might, paws outstretched, and then...it escaped. It darted away before I hit the ground. I turned, frustrated, and saw what had alarmed it. I had broken a stick in my leap. Even if I hadn't heard it, the vole had.

I would be more careful next time. I stopped and felt for vibrations, and it didn't take long for me to feel some. I turned to them and walked forward. I carefully sniffed the air and recognized mouse. This would hopefully be easier. Apprentices always told me mice were dumb. I felt more confident this time. I would catch it. I came to the edge of a clearing, and saw a small mouse, I crept behind it, against the wind, so it wouldn't smell me. It sat at the foot of a tree, nibbling a seed. I looked at the ground, making notes of any leaves and twigs to avoid. Then I moved in. I was practically next to the mouse! I stood, waiting for my moment, and then, I pounced. It was a low leap, probably not the best, but the mouse didn't notice me until it was too late. I slammed into it and bit it's neck lightly.

It was dead. I felt pride swell in me. I had caught my first piece of prey. I had defied all expectations. In my mind, I was an apprentice. A _Warrior_ apprentice. I remembered cats telling my mother I'd never be a warrior. Well, this showed them. And when ThunderClan found me, I'd show everybody!

I cheerfully dragged the mouse back into my den and hungrily tore into it. I wolfed it down faster than I thought would be possible for someone my size. It was cold and stringy, but at that moment it tasted like the best piece of meat I had ever had. I finished and licked my paw. I would be okay. I could take care of myself.  
And when they found me, they wouldn't find a deaf kit with no abilities.  
They'd find a capable apprentice.

My life fell into a pattern. I'd get up, go outside, and spend the day hunting. Not all days were successful. Sometimes I'd go to sleep hungry. On those days, I felt miserable, and I found myself wishing for my mother. I was still hoping they'd find me, but by now I was realizing that it might not happen. I tried to tell myself that that was stupid, and of course they'd come.  
But they didn't.

One day, I woke up to a strange vibration. It was larger than a mouse or voles. I felt scared. Was it a badger, or something dangerous like that? Had it smelled me? I carefully poked my head out of the hole, and saw, to my surprise, a fox about my size. Just a cub. I stared at it, but it didn't seem to notice me. Then it turned.

I shot out so fast that I couldn't believe my own speed. I hid in some bushes and watched as the fox stared after me, confusion in it's face, before wandering over and sniffing my den. Then it poked it's head in. I felt anger bubbling in me. That was _my_ den and _he_ was poking his big head in. He pulled out a mouse I had been saving for today, and took large, hasty bites of it. So now he was helping himself to _my_ food! I was so angry, I didn't even realized I had leaped at the fox until I crashed into it's side. It stared at me with surprise, before anger filled it's gaze and it swiped at my ear. I felt the blow as I was lifted off and sailed a few tail-lengths through the air before landing in a heap.

The fox was glaring at me and hissing. I glared back and snarled. Then it decided I would probably taste better than the mouse, and it pounced at me, mouth open. I wasn't really expecting to be attacked, but the fox sunk it's teeth into my shoulder. I scrabbled at it frantically, but it wouldn't let go, and the bite _hurt_! Without thinking, I unsheathed my claws and thrust them into the fox's flank. It stared in surprise as blood welled up from the deep scratches I had just given it. It's mouth gaped for a moment, as if it didn't believe that something as pathetic as me could have hurt it.

This hesitation gave me enough time to pull out of it's mouth and jump on it's back. It growled and tried to shake me off, but I clung on, more terrified than angry at the moment. I dug my claws into it's shoulders and raked my hind paws along his back. I had seen apprentices play fight before, but this was real, and it was much harder than it looked.

It twisted it's head around and bit my paw. It's jaws were clamped shut. I froze for a moment. If it tore at my foot any longer, it would come clean off. Then an idea hit me. I swept my other paw forward and clawed it's nose. It yowled in pain as blood dripped from it's face. I launched myself forward one last time, this time under him, where I tore at his belly. He screeched and dashed away.

Away from my clearing. Away from my den. Away from _me_. I had just won my first fight. I limped to the edge of my den and looked in. The fox had only messed things up a little bit. There wasn't any meat left on it. I didn't have any food left. But at that moment, I decided to hunt later. I was tired and bloody. I had to clean my wounds.

I crept inside and curled up, my breath coming in gasps. I hadn't realized how bad my paw-and the shoulder- were until now. Both were still bleeding. _Cobwebs!_ The thought hit me. That was what Yellowfang and Cinderpelt used to patch bleeding wounds, wasn't it?

I angrily trudged out, not wanting to go anywhere. But luckily, cobwebs weren't hard to find. They were everywhere in this forest. I swept some on my paw, and just let it rest there, and grabbed some more to put on my shoulder. The bleeding stopped. The wounds felt better as I walked back. I happily burrowed deep into the leaves in my den and fell asleep.

Somehow, fighting had left me sad and hurt, rather than proud.

I blinked my eyes open in pain. My paw was swollen and oozing pus. It wasn't a pretty sight. I gasped as I stood up. I couldn't even stand on it. I carefully pulled myself out of the den on three paws, making sure the swollen one didn't touch anything. After the fox fought me, the wound in my paw refused to heal. It's edges had turned black, and the pus was a sickly yellowish-green. I winced with every step. I couldn't put it off any longer. I had an infection, and I had simply been trying to tell myself otherwise. I needed herbs.

A squirrel watched off of a branch on a large oak tree near my den. It was gazing at me curiously, whipping its tail back and forth. This squirrel was always there. I had never tried to hunt it. Somehow, it seemed friendly, with it's beady black eyes and fluffy fur. Now it seemed to realize I was hurting. It whisked it's way onto a lower branch and gazed at me. I guess it was still scared of me, because it never went on the ground.

My pain made me irritated, and I growled. I had managed to pick up how to speak a bit, so I hissed, "What are you staring at me for!"  
It moved it's mouth, so I suspected it was telling me something, but I couldn't make it out. I muttered, "If you want to be heard, scream!"

The squirrel stared at me disapprovingly before turning and prancing away. Now I felt sad. I had made it angry. My wound was making me aggravated. I set out. The forest was steadily turning green again. Leaf-bare would be over soon. I searched for anything I had ever smelled in the medicine den. I found thyme, horsetail, marigold, oak leaves, and a root.

I knew I had smelled the root before. I searched my head for its name. _Burdock Root!_ I felt proud of myself. I had remembered. You were supposed to chew it to a pulp and apply it to your wound. I nearly ran back to my den with all my herbs. Only the pain in my foot stopped me. I felt elated. I could heal cuts! I'd be my own medicine cat! Of course, I wouldn't have a connection with StaClan. _StarClan!_ I had nearly forgotten them. I found it hard to forgive them for letting a hawk steal me from my family and friends.

More subdued, I limped back, and sat outside my den, chewing the root. It had a sharp taste that I didn't like very much. But if it would make me better, it was worth the taste. I had heard that cat's could die of infection. It would be awful if I survived being abducted by a hawk, living alone in a new place, and being attacked by a fox only to die of a small infection in my paw.

I lightly licked away all the grit and pus on my foot, making sure the bites were clean, before placing the pulp on my foot. It stung for a few moments, and I clenched my teeth. Then it calmed down, and I felt relief flood my body as the pain slowly ebbed away. I still couldn't walk on it, but It would be better. I looked at the sky. I had been here...how long? I arrived in late leaf-bare. it was almost New-leaf. Moons had passed.

And then the reality crashed on me.  
ThunderClan would never come for me.  
Speckletail, Bramblekit, and Tawnykit believed I was dead.  
I had been forgotten.

What about Starclan? It was a desperate hope. Cinderpelt would meet with them! They'd tell her that I was alive, wouldn't they? Or was I so far away that even StarClan couldn't see me. All I had was a squirrel for a friend.  
I wept sadly. Gazing upward, I thought, _StarClan, if you see me, tell my mother I'm alright. Tell her I survived. Tell her that I promise to find her some day._

With that I crept back into my den, sadness still washing over me.  
I had never been more lonely than now.


	3. Chapter 3

I jolted up. I had been sniffing the ground, trying to trace a squirrel, when I felt a single powerful vibration, as if something had landed on the ground. It was a strange vibration. Not one an animal would make. It also seemed far off. I decided to trace it. It would be better to find a fox rather than having the fox find me.

It had been about two moons since my infection. I was fully healed, but had no wish to receive another wound like the first one. I crept through the undergrowth. New-leaf had arrived, and everything was blossoming and growing. Colors sprang up all around me. Bright red poppies, striped lilies, and pink roses. After all the snow, it seemed almost too colorful for my eyes.

I carefully avoided anything that might snap or crackle to alert whatever it was that made the vibration. No way was I taking chances with a full grown fox or badger. A baby fox had almost been too much for me to handle. I hated to think what would happen if I came face to face with an adult one.

I stopped. New vibrations had just met my paws. Now they felt like something was scuffling around the ground. Was it a squirrel? One could have leaped from a tree, which would make the heavy vibration. But I'd rather check. Better safe than sorry. I trailed the soft vibrations to a small clearing of pine trees. I blinked. It was the same place where I'd first arrived. I remembered falling off on of the pines. I walked over to the edge of the ring and stared.

A kit was floundering through the grass. He was tiny, with a silver tabby pelt, and bright amber eyes. He was trying to hop up, to see which way he should go. He looked like some strange silver frog, with all his little leaps. Then he collapsed on the grass, panting and looking confused. I couldn't help it. I chuckled.

The kit immediately whipped around and stared at me, defiance sparking in his eyes. I looked evenly back.  
Then I carefully padded out and said, "I'm Snowkit. Who are you?"

The kit jumped, looking surprised, and shouted at me, "Why are you shouting, Snikit? I'm Marshy."

I stared at him, amused. Snikit? I must have mispronounced it. And as for shouting, I couldn't help it. I wanted to hear what I was saying.

I sighed, and yelled, "Sn_ow_kit! Not Snikit! And I'm shouting because I'm mostly deaf! I can't hear you if you don't shout, Arshy!"

This time, comprehension dawned on his face, and he blinked, before yelling, "Sorry. And it's Marshy, not Arshy! Do you live here? Do you know where the town is?"

Snowkit smiled, "Well, _Marshy_, you ask a lot of questions. Yes, I do live here. No, I don't know where the town is. I don't even know what exactly a town is."

Marshy snorted, as if making fun of my knowledge, "A town is a settlement of brightpelt houses. Everyone knows that."

I stared, "What are brightpelts?"

Marshy grinned, evidently proud of knowing more than me, "Brightpelts are tall creatures that walk on two legs. Their pelt color changes every day. Weird, huh!?"

Suddenly, I knew what he was saying, "You mean twolegs! Yes, I know what they are! But no, I have no idea where a settlement of their nests is."

He looked at his paws, "Oh."

I glanced at him, "Did you come from one? Are you a kittypet?"

He looked up haughtily, "No way! But I did grow up in one of the settlements. Then a hawk came. It took me away."

I sighed. Looking up, I yelled again, "Well, you can live with me until we figure out where you belong."

Marshy nodded, sparkle returning to his eyes, "You're not a kit. Why does your name end with 'kit'?"

I glanced over, beckoning for him to follow me, "I belonged to a group of cats once. We had funny names like that. I decided to keep it."

Marshy nodded, already seeing something else that was interesting. He kept exclaiming, "Wow! Look at that!", as if he'd never been in a forest before. But I liked his chatter. It reminded me of clan life. And by the time we reached my den, I had explained all about clans and my own abduction. Marshy listened to me with rapt attention. I had found my first friend.

Marshy became something like my apprentice. True, I was too young to be a warrior. But living out here had made me grow up a lot faster than I would have if I'd stayed in ThunderClan. Sometimes I thought that maybe this was what I had needed to get me out of my shell of sadness and lost hope.

Marshy was interested in everything I had to say. And he parroted my opinions about twolegs, foxes, and hawks. But he had his own mind as well. I'd wake up to find him gone from the tiny den. He'd come back around sun-high with prey in his mouth and a cheerful expression. I taught him everything I could about herbs and hunting, and even went so far as to tell him that there were cats that were watching over us named StarClan. He looked curious when I said this, but as if he thought it was just a story told to kits.

So I explained. How each star was a cat from StarClan. How Silverpelt was their home. How it was always Green-leaf with them. Only after that did he start to believe me.  
But he never talked about himself. He would clam up if I asked about his family, his home, his life.

So I left him alone. He needed time to get over the fact that he would probably never see his family again. I knew from personal experience how hard it is to accept that your family and friends had given up on you. I trusted him to talk when he was ready.

I trusted him. This fact surprised me. As much as it was true, it was hard to believe. I had trusted my clan. And they had let me down. After something like this happened, it was hard to trust, but I had managed it.

One day, Marshys silence changed. We had gone out hunting. He leaped at a mouse, but landed in a flower patch instead. He sat there, looking frustrated, and shredded the plants angrily.

I walked over and said, "Don't worry. You'll get the next one."

That was another thing. Since Marshy had come, I had learned to speak without shouting. He was teaching me to understand what he said without hearing him. So he taught me as much as I taught him.

He looked up, "Snowkit, do you ever miss your friends? Your family?"

I was somewhat surprised by this question, but answered truthfully, "Yes."

He stared at his paws, "Did you have a mother and a father? Litter-mates?"

I shook my head, "I had a mother. No father, no littermates. But I loved my mother. Her name was Speckletail. And I had two friends named Tawnykit and Bramblekit."

Marshy shuffled his feet, "My mother's name was Marigold. My father was Cloudy. And I had two sisters, Violetta and Lavender. I'll always miss them."

I felt sympathy towards him, "Well, maybe we'll find you're family one day. I promised myself that one day, I'd find my clan again."

Marshy glanced at me, "Can I come with you when you go? I'd like to see a clan. What do you think I'd be named if I became a warrior of one of the clans?"

I smiled, he was cheering up if he could ask so may questions, "Well, of course you could. And I can't tell you what you'd be named. Only the leader decides that. But you would be Marshpaw if you were in a clan right now. And I'd be Snowpaw."

Marshy smiled too, "Marshpaw. I sort of like that. You know, my family are loners. Sometimes I used to think it would be better if we had more friends. We lived in an old shed, owned by a brightpelt. My mother and father would hunt, and I would take care of my sisters. There was another cat, too. His name was Stormy. I think he was my fathers brother. I didn't like him much. He was mean to me and my sisters. And he didn't really do anything, either. He left one day, though. I didn't see him again, and I don't know what happened."

I caught most of the speech, but still missed some of it. I nodded, feeling that that was the best thing to do at the moment, "We had an evil cat in our camp. He murdered our deputy. He wanted to be leader. His name was Tigerclaw."

Marshy grinned, "A rogue tried to steal Lavender once. Cloudy and Marigold weren't back yet, so me and Violetta attacked him. And we won, actually. He didn't really look that much older than us, and we were only about three moons back then. It's how I got this scar."  
He pointed out a small scar that ran along his flank.  
He said cheerfully, "My first battle wound!"

I laughed, "Well, at least he knew not to mess with you again!"

Marshy snickered as well, "You know, me and Violetta always used to pull pranks on Lavender and our parents. She was a lot like me. Except one time, we dropped a spider on Lavender's nose and she screamed so hard my parents came running. It was funny at first, but getting confined to the shed was not."

I tilted my head slightly, "How did a hawk get to you, anyway? If you were in a twoleg nest?"

Anger and sadness flooded his gaze again, " I was a 'trouble-maker' as my parents called me. They didn't really believe i would ever learn anything useful. I took to taking dares as a way of proving to myself that I _was_ strong and useful! Violetta dared me to walk on the fence, so I did, and it just swooped down, and...and..."

I soothingly murmured, "And grabbed you, I know. It's alright."

He started crying softly, "No it's not! And it probably never will be!"

With that he stalked off into the woods. I decided to wait, and did my hunting alone. We didn't speak at all for the rest of the day. Somehow I felt more understanding of Marshy.

He was a lot like me in more ways than I had thought.


End file.
